Scientific American Podcast: 60-Second Space

Bacteria Got an Early Fix on Nitrogen

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 17:00:00 -0000

New evidence points to the evolution of the ability for bacteria to grab nitrogen from the atmosphere some 3.2 billion years ago, about 1.2 billion years earlier than thought—with implications for finding extraterrestrial life. Lee Billings reports

Stars Reveal Hidden Galaxy

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:20:00 -0000

A dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way may consist of more dark matter than regular matter.* Clara Moskowitz reports

Space Science Budget Gets Small Lift

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 14:20:00 -0000

NASA has to deal with the unexpected financial consequences of robotic missions that just keep going. Lee Billings reports

5 Rocky Planets Found in Ancient, Distant Solar System

Mon, 02 Feb 2015 09:00:00 -0000

The oldest group of terrestrial worlds now known formed some 11.2 billion years ago, more than six billion years before our sun and planets. Clara Moskowitz reports

Long-Lost Lander Found on Mars

Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:45:00 -0000

New images from a NASA orbiter reveal Beagle 2’s final resting place. Lee Billings reports

Look Up to See Latest Comet Lovejoy

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:39:00 -0000

Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy’s latest comet find is naked-eye visible in the southeast sky until January 24. Clara Moskowitz reports

SpaceX Will Try Launch, Then Soft-Land Returning Booster

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:00:00 -0000

The company hopes to send up a Falcon 9 rocket and then safely land the discarded first stage for reuse. Lee Billings reports

Humans on Mars Soonish Says NASA Bigwig

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 18:17:00 -0000

John Grunsfeld, the former astronaut who now heads NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, thinks that traveling light could get people to Mars by the 2040s

UV Light Colors Great Red Spot

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 18:13:00 -0000

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is its particular crimson shade because of the interaction of ultraviolet light and specific chemical compounds in the gas giant's atmosphere. Lee Billings reports

It’s Hard to Dust in Space

Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:56:00 -0000

Over the summer researchers identified seven specks of dust returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft. But determining their true origin has been difficult. Clara Moskowitz reports

Comet Reeks of Cat Crap and Rotten Eggs

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 21:15:00 -0000

The Rosetta spacecraft has unexpectedly detected hydrogen sulphide and ammonia coming from Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Lee Billings reports

Track Cosmic Rays with Smartphone App

Thu, 16 Oct 2014 19:14:00 -0000

Take part in a citizen-science project by helping researchers track high-energy cosmic rays via a network of smartphone users. Clara Moskowitz reports

Star-Forming Clouds May Spit Out Life’s Building Blocks

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 17:30:00 -0000

Astronomers have discovered one of the largest and most complex organic molecules yet in a gaseous star-forming region of interstellar space. Clara Moskowitz reports

Dark Matter Looks WIMPy

Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:45:00 -0000

Data from the International Space Station-based Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment supports the idea that dark matter consists of the invisible particles called weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. Clara Moskowitz reports

Forensic Astronomer Dates Monet Vision

Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:17:00 -0000

Texas State University astronomer Donald Olson combined solar, tidal and weather data to identify the likely moment of the image in the Monet work Impression, Sunrise

Milky Way's Home Supercluster Found

Wed, 03 Sep 2014 23:25:00 -0000

Astronomers have identified the Milky Way’s cosmic address—inside the supercluster Laniakea, which means “immense heaven” in Hawaiian. Clara Moskowitz reports

Neptune Visit Hits 25th Anniversary

Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:00:00 -0000

On August 24th, 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft rendezvoused with Neptune, making it the farthest planet to pose for a close-up, a record it still holds today.

Air Pollution Could Reveal ET's Home

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 18:27:00 -0000

If intelligent aliens are dumb enough to pollute their atmosphere, NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is powerful enough to spot some of the signs on some exoplanets. Clara Moskowitz reports

Martian Soil Salts May Make Water Ice All Wet

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 18:07:00 -0000

Within a Mars-like laboratory environment, perchlorate salts known to exist on Mars were able to lower the freezing point enough to get ice to turn to liquid water. Clara Moskowitz reports

Saturn Probe Ready for Its "Grand Finale"

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 13:45:00 -0000

The Cassini probe readies for its final act with new flight patterns that will get unprecedented views of Saturn and culminate in a final dive into the planet's atmosphere. Clara Moskowitz reports

Triple Black Hole System Found in Distant Galaxy

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 19:30:00 -0000

A galaxy four billion light-years from us was has three supermassive black holes at its center, with two in a tight formation. Clara Moskowitz reports

"Extremely Large Telescope" Breaks Ground

Mon, 23 Jun 2014 18:40:00 -0000

The European Southern Observatory broke ground June 19th to build the world's largest telescope atop the Cerro Armazones mountain in Chile. Clara Moskowitz reports

Seemingly Strange Solar Cycle May Be Sorta Normal

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 10:17:00 -0000

The current solar maximum appears to be weak. But the few previously measured maxes could have been unusually strong. Clara Moskowitz reports

Dark Matter Shell Saved Wannabe Galaxy

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 08:30:00 -0000

A failed dwarf galaxy called the Smith Cloud apparently survived an ancient collision with the Milky Way because of a protective dark matter cloak. Clara Moskowitz reports

Pluto Bids to Get Back Planetary Status

Tue, 27 May 2014 20:15:00 -0000

Pluto has at least five moons and an atmosphere—and now a new analysis places its diameter as bigger than its outer solar system rival, Eris

Jupiter's Great Red Spot Now Just Pretty Good

Thu, 22 May 2014 18:00:00 -0000

Jupiter's Great Red Spot, once estimated to be 41,000 kilometers across, is just 16,500 kilometers wide in the latest Hubble Space Telescope observations, and the shrinkage seems to be accelerating. Clara Moskowitz reports

Oddball Eclipse Makes Star Brighter

Thu, 15 May 2014 13:15:00 -0000

When a white dwarf passes in front of its binary star system companion every 88 days, it acts like a lens to make the larger star appear brighter to us.

Galaxy Gave Star Cluster the Boot

Wed, 07 May 2014 19:30:00 -0000

The star cluster HVGC-1 had been part of the M87 galaxy, but now it's fleeing that galaxy at more than two million miles per hour. Clara Moskowitz reports

Chilly, Chilly, Little Star

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:20:00 -0000

A brown dwarf only about three to 10 times Jupiter's mass couldn't get fusion going and now sits freezing in space, in the nearby galactic neighborhood. Clara Moskowitz reports

Help ID Moon Craters from Your Couch

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 09:27:00 -0000

Citizen scientists have helped professional astronomers locate more than 500 million lunar craters by using an app called MoonMappers. Karen Hopkin reports

Saltine-Sized Satellites Set for Space

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 19:20:00 -0000

More than 100 tiny satellites are set to launch into space on April 14th, in a demonstration of a possible future inexpensive technology that could pave the way for the $1,000 satellite. Clara Moskowitz reports

Absence (of Weight) Makes the Heart Grow Rounder

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 20:30:00 -0000

After prolonged periods in microgravity, astronauts' hearts became more spherical, according to scans done on the International Space Station. Sophie Bushwick reports

Rings: They're Not Just for Planets Anymore

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 21:11:00 -0000

The asteroidlike object Chariklo orbits between Saturn and Uranus and has been found to have its own set of rings. Clara Moskowitz reports

Planet X Gets X'd Out

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 15:00:00 -0000

An exhaustive search by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer has found no hints of a theorized planet or dwarf star in our neck of the cosmic woods. Clara Moskowitz reports

Giant Black Hole Spins at Half Light-Speed

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 13:11:00 -0000

The half-the-speed-of-light spin of a giant black hole suggests it grew by digesting another black hole in a galaxy merger. Clara Moskowitz reports

Moon-Smashing Meteorite Recorded by Astronomers

Tue, 25 Feb 2014 16:52:00 -0000

Spanish astronomers spotted a meteoroid impact at 61,000 kilometers per hour using a telescope network that automatically scans the moon. Clara Moskowitz reports

Hubble Finds Possible Oldest Object Ever Seen

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 11:30:00 -0000

The Hubble Telescope's new set of Frontier Fields images includes a galaxy some 13-billion light-years away, which makes it a candidate for the most distant object ever seen. Clara Moskowitz reports

We Celebrate a Galilean Anniversary

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 22:05:00 -0000

Galileo—who, among many accomplishments, was first to use a telescope to discover moons around Jupiter—was born 450 years ago this week. Clara Moskowitz reports

Wacky World Wobbles Wildly

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 21:00:00 -0000

Exoplanet Kepler 413 b's tilt can vary by as much as 30 degrees over 11 years, leading to extremely erratic seasons. Clara Moskowitz reports

Faraway Planets May Be Far Better for Life

Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:49:00 -0000

Astronomers have come up with a shopping list of what a planet needs to support life, perhaps even better than our Earth does, making them "superhabitable." Michael Moyer reports

Comet Spacecraft Wakes from Slumber

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 20:25:00 -0000

On January 20th the European Space Agency woke its Rosetta probe after two-and-a-half years in hibernation, in preparation for its final approach to a comet

Astronomers Cluster at Massive Meeting Conjunction

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 07:06:08 -0000

More than 3,000 astronomers assembled last week for the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Clara Moskowitz reports

Weird Supernovae Spin Faster Than Blender Blades

Mon, 30 Dec 2013 20:06:08 -0000

Two recently found supernovae are much farther away and brighter than almost any star explosion ever seen, perhaps because they wound up as rapidly spinning magnetars. Clara Moskowitz reports

Asteroid-Hunting Satellite Returns from Dead

Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:25:08 -0000

The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite that went into hibernation in 2011 has been brought to life as an asteroid lookout. Clara Moskowitz reports

Preadolescent Astronomer Spots Supernova

Tue, 17 Dec 2013 20:47:08 -0000

Ten-year-old Nathan Gray of Nova Scotia officially becomes the youngest person ever to identify a new supernova. Clara Moskowitz reports

Say I Saw ISON

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 07:00:08 -0000

Don't miss viewing Comet ISON, visible in the east before dawn, with a tail now as long as the bowl of the Big Dipper. Clara Moskowitz reports

India Targets Red Planet

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:34:08 -0000

India aims to become the fourth entity to send a mission to Mars with its launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission, aka Mangalyaan. Clara Moskowitz reports.

Astronaut Sounds Alarm On Asteroids

Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:55:08 -0000

At a symposium on the danger of asteroid impacts, Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart said it's time for the planet to develop a strategy should a big rock come our way. Clara Moskowitz reports.

System Has Multiple Planets Off Kilter

Mon, 21 Oct 2013 19:22:08 -0000

Two of the three known planets around the star Kepler 56 orbit their host out of line with the star's equator. Clara Moskowitz reports.

Voyager 1 Is Officially out There

Mon, 16 Sep 2013 16:49:08 -0000

Voyager 1's own record of the plasma vibrations in its vicinity conclusively show that it has reached the space between the stars. John Matson reports

Home PCs Help Pinpoint Pulsars

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:51:08 -0000

The distributed computing project Einstein@Home uses home computers to search through years of telescope data to find pulsars. John Matson reports.

Sky Map Satellite Becomes Asteroid Hunter

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 18:46:08 -0000

NASA's WISE satellite surveyed the universe before being mothballed in 2011. Now it's being resurrected as a near-Earth asteroid scanner.

Kepler Exoplanet Hunter Limps Into Sunset

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 20:32:08 -0000

Although the Kepler space telescope's stabilization system is beyond repair, it has produced reams of data that have yet to be fully searched for exoplanets. John Matson reports.

Solar Magnetic Field Flip Poses No Problem

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 13:18:08 -0000

The only issue related to the flip of the sun's magnetic field is that it corresponds with the peak of the sunspot cycle, when the sun is prone to launch flares and bursts of plasma into space that can effect satellites and power grids. John Matson reports.

Curiosity Celebrates an Earth Year on Mars

Tue, 06 Aug 2013 23:58:08 -0000

Since it landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, the Curiosity rover has done photography, geology and roamed a good kilometer. John Matson reports

Milky Way Black Hole Had Hungry Past

Mon, 29 Jul 2013 17:41:08 -0000

A huge cloud of plasma south of our galactic black hole could be evidence of a past feeding frenzy. John Matson reports

Neutrino Identity Switch Confirmed

Mon, 22 Jul 2013 20:31:08 -0000

Theory said that muon neutrinos could transform into electron neutrinos. A neutrino detector confirms this by catching many more electron neutrinos than it should have otherwise. John Matson reports

Giant Black Hole May Be Fugitive

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 15:47:08 -0000

The black hole in galaxy NGC 1277 is way more massive than usual. Astronomers hypothesize it was ejected from another galaxy before settling in its new home. John Matson reports

Flare Star Goes Wild in Minutes

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 18:05:08 -0000

The star WX UMa went from 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit to 30,000 degrees F in less than three minutes. Chris Crockett reports

Frigid Space Speeds Chemical Reaction

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 15:57:08 -0000

A reaction between two common molecules occurs much faster at frosty interstellar temperatures than on our toasty Earth due to a cold-stabilized transition and quantum tunneling. John Matson reports

Texas Teens Take Rocket Title

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 20:18:08 -0000

Three teenage Texas model rocketeers beat out teams from France and the U.K. to claim top honors at this year's International Rocketry Competition. John Matson reports

Primordial Galaxy Shows How to Make a Big One

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 19:47:08 -0000

Looking at the Himiko Galaxy as it was just 800 million years after the big bang offers a glimpse at how the most massive galaxies took shape. John Matson reports

Galaxy of a Thousand Stars

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:22:08 -0000

Segue 2, one of dozens of "companion" galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, is now the smallest galaxy known. Michael Moyer reports

Curiosity Reveals Mars Astronaut Radiation Risk

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:39:08 -0000

A side benefit of NASA's Curiosity rover mission is that we now know about how much radiation an interplanetary traveler would face. John Matson reports

Earth and Moon Had Same Water Source

Tue, 28 May 2013 19:15:08 -0000

Isotopic analysis of water trapped in volcanic glass in lunar samples show that the moon has more water than thought, and the water there and on Earth had the same origins. Karen Hopkin reports

Mars Rover Sets Distance Record

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:19:08 -0000

After nine (Earth) years of slowly traversing Mars, Opportunity broke the U.S. off-world rover record held by Apollo 17's lunar buggy since 1972. John Matson reports.

Exoplanet Building Blocks Found around White Dwarfs

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:40:08 -0000

Silicon-rich rocky material was found around white dwarfs in the Hyades star cluster by the Hubble Space Telescope, despite the fact that almost no known planets exist in star clusters. John Matson reports

Milky Way Makes Small Massive Gain

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:46:08 -0000

Based on the Milky Way's effect on the motion of a nearby dwarf galaxy, our galaxy seems to have more mass than we previously thought. John Matson reports

Space Scope Spots 3 Possibly Habitable Planets

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:37:08 -0000

NASA's orbiting Kepler telescope recently spotted three exoplanets in or near their stars' so-called habitable zones, the temperate region where a planet could accommodate liquid water. John Matson reports

Amateur Astronomers Spot Missing Russian Mars Lander

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:00:08 -0000

Using imagery taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2007, amateur astronomers located an object that could be a Russian lander that went dark after a few seconds on Mars in 1971. John Matson reports

Water Ice Found across Saturn System

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:00:08 -0000

Saturn's rings and moons contain a uniform distribution of water ice, which seems to reflect their common origins billions of years ago. John Matson reports

Universe May Be a Titch Older

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:40:08 -0000

New data from the European Planck satellite indicate that the universe is 13.8 billion years old rather than a mere 13.7 billion years old. John Matson reports

Unfinished Chile Observatory Makes Starry Discovery

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:37:08 -0000

An incomplete version of Chile's ALMA telescope array found that star formation was in full swing earlier than had been thought. John Matson reports

Nearby Star Came In with the Bang

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:25:08 -0000

A study of the star HD 140283, only about 190 light-years away from us, finds that it formed in short order after the big bang. John Matson reports

Third Van Allen Belt Came and Went

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:46:08 -0000

The Van Allen Probes recently found a third belt of charged particles circling Earth, which was then destroyed by a solar shock wave. John Matson reports

Shoo Away Asteroids with a Coat of Paint

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:15:08 -0000

Heat radiating from an asteroid imparts a tiny push to the rock, meaning that we could subtly steer an asteroid by changing its reflectance. John Matson reports

Meteor Shocks Russian City

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:05:08 -0000

The Russian city of Chelyabinsk was awakened on February 15 when a meteor exploded overhead, with an energy equivalent to about 300 kilotons of TNT

Curiosity Drills Mars for Answers

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:39:08 -0000

Even as a few of its sensors cause problems, the Curiosity rover became the first robotic visitor to bore into the Martian surface. John Matson reports

Past-Prime Star May Still Produce Planets

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:30:08 -0000

The star TW Hydrae should be too old to still have planets forming around it, but its gas and dust indicate it still has planetary potential. John Matson reports

Gamma-Ray Burst Fingered for Carbon 14 Spike in A.D. 774

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:27:08 -0000

Tree-ring data from A.D. 774 show a sudden spike in radioactive carbon 14, pointing to a burst of charged particles or high-energy radiation that struck Earth. A relatively nearby gamma-ray burst could be the culprit. John Matson reports

Following Flare-Ups, Star Finally Explodes

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:26:08 -0000

After a few false alarms, the star SN 2009ip appears to have gone supernova at last. John Matson reports

Mars Flight Habitat Volunteers Lost Sleep and Fitness

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:03:08 -0000

Six volunteers spent 520 days in a simulation of a trip to Mars, and wound up experiencing sleep disturbances and becoming more sedentary. John Matson reports

Civilian Spacefarers Face Medical Hurdles

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:20:08 -0000

Opening the door to the paying public means that less healthy individuals will soon have access to space--if their doctors approve. John Matson reports

Titan Sports Hydrocarbon Nile

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:08:08 -0000

The Cassini orbiter spotted a river system on Titan that NASA likens to a miniature version of the Nile River, but flowing with liquid ethane and methane. John Matson reports

Should Mars Get Another Rover?

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:44:08 -0000

NASA has plans for another Mars rover, but no trips scheduled for exotic places like Titan or Europa. John Matson reports

3-D Printer Makes Structures with Lunar-Like Material

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:01:08 -0000

A proof-of-concept 3-D printing job using lunarlike material shows that quick-and-dirty tools or spare parts could be manufactured on the moon. John Matson reports

Thicker Atmosphere Still Would Have Left Mars Cold

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:59:08 -0000

Global 3-D climate simulations for plausible Martian atmospheres show that even with a much thicker CO2 layer, the greenhouse effect could not have warmed Mars above freezing. John Matson reports.

Galaxy Might Be Most Distant Seen Object

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:30:08 -0000

Thanks to gravitational lensing by a cluster of galaxies, the light emitted by a small galaxy 13.3 billion years ago has reached Earth. John Matson reports

Star's Habitable Zone Includes Possible Giant Earth

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:45:08 -0000

A planet at least seven times as massive as Earth orbits comfortably in the habitable zone of the star HD 40307. John Matson reports

New Analyses Resurrect Contested Exoplanet Claim

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:28:08 -0000

Fomalhaut b looked like an exoplanet to some astronomers and like dust to others. But new analyses strengthen the planet view. John Matson reports

Solar Wind Creates Traces of Lunar Surface Water

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:32:08 -0000

A chemical analysis of lunar samples now points to the solar wind being behind the ultrathin dusting of water molecules first detected in 2009 from spacecraft measurements. John Matson reports

Sensor Info Reveals Titan Probe Landing

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:12:08 -0000

An analysis of the Huygens probe's sensor data has reconstructed bouncing and skidding, moments before it came to rest on Titan. John Matson reports

Zippy Star Promises to Be Relativity Laboratory

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:19:08 -0000

A star orbiting the galactic center's black hole in just 11.5 Earth years should provide data for studying how gravity works near an extremely massive object. John Matson reports

Good Things Come from Small Scopes

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:07:08 -0000

Smaller ground-based telescopes produce research results that get more citations per dollar spent than the big guys. John Matson reports

Pre-Life Chemistry Happens at Space Temperatures

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:51:08 -0000

UV light, which radiates from stars and galaxies, can induce rapid changes in icy hydrocarbon molecules cooled to 5 kelvins, as on a comet. John Matson reports

White Dwarf Binary Stars Make Merger Plans

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:57:08 -0000

In the J0651 binary system two white dwarf stars orbit each other in less than 13 minutes--and it's getting a little faster all the time. John Matson reports

Dawn Spacecraft Sets Sail for Dwarf Planet Ceres

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:05:08 -0000

On September 5th NASA's Dawn spacecraft left the asteroid Vesta and set sail for the dwarf planet Ceres, where it will arrive in 2015. John Matson reports

NASA Spacecraft's Census Tallies Millions of Black Holes

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:10:08 -0000

NASA's infrared WISE spacecraft found about 130 glowing black holes in a small region of space, meaning that at least two million active black holes dot the sky. John Matson reports

Milky Way and Satellite Galaxies Are Rare Arrangement

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:07:08 -0000

Only about 0.5 percent of Milky Way-like galaxies have companions like our satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. John Matson reports

Probes Will Live in Van Allen Belts

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:00:08 -0000

The twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes will fly through the Van Allen Belts for two years, measuring charged particles, plasma waves and magnetic fields. John Matson reports

Tour Kennedy Space Center on Google Street View

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:30:08 -0000

More than 6,000 new images of Kennedy Space Center have recently been added to Google Street View. John Matson reports

Curiosity Rover Lands Safely on Mars

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:54:08 -0000

After successfully completing its complex series of landing maneuvers, the Curiosity rover is on the Martian surface and ready to begin exploration. John Matson reports

Scopes See Exoplanets and Violent Astrophysics

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:57:08 -0000

Palomar Observatory's Project 1640 on the Hale Telescope allows astronomers to directly observe exoplanets, whereas the gamma-ray sensitive HESS 2 in Namibia tracks violent astrophysical events such as supernovae and flaring black holes. John Matson reports

Pioneer Spacecraft Warmth Takes Heat off Relativity

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:36:08 -0000

The tiny slowing of the two Pioneer spacecraft, known as the Pioneer anomaly and considered by some to challenge general relativity, is probably due to the heat produced by electronics and radioactive decay. John Matson reports

Mars Rover Prepares for 7 Minutes of Terror

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:49:08 -0000

The Curiosity rover is set to begin exploring Mars on August 6. But first it has to land. John Matson reports

Dark Matter Bridges Galaxy Clusters

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:29:08 -0000

Gravitational lensing shows that two galaxy clusters are connected by a filament of dark matter. John Matson reports

Nonprofit Wants to Launch Asteroid-Spotter

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:18:08 -0000

The B612 Foundation wants to put a telescope in orbit around the sun to look for asteroids that might hit Earth. John Matson reports

Magnetic Tornadoes May Heat Solar Corona

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:43:08 -0000

The sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, is much hotter than the surface. Giant magnetic tornadoes may be behind the heat transfer. John Matson reports

Super-Earth Exoplanets Could Be Better for Life

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:46:08 -0000

Dimitar Sasselov, director of Harvard's Origins of Life Initiative, explains how rocky exoplanets larger than Earth could have greater potential for life than Earth did. Steve Mirsky reports

Astronomers Seek Biggest Stars

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:12:08 -0000

Several nearby star clusters could harbor incredibly huge stars, with masses of up to 600 suns. John Matson reports

SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth from ISS

Thu, 31 May 2012 19:58:08 -0000

The first commercial visitor to the ISS splashed down successfully in the Pacific after a supply run. John Matson reports

SpaceX Private Vessel Reaches ISS

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:47:08 -0000

The International Space Station received its first commercial visitor with the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon resupply capsule. John Matson reports

Annular Eclipse Hits U.S. Sunday

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:19:08 -0000

Residents of western states will be in position to see the ring of fire of an annular eclipse on May 20th. John Matson reports

Astronomers Detect Smallish Exoplanet's Infrared Glow

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:40:08 -0000

A space-based telescope picked up faint thermal radiation from a "super-Earth" planet 40 light-years away. John Matson reports

Zeppelin Searches for California Meteorite

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:15:08 -0000

Scientists are using a zeppelin to do a slow search for signs of fragments left by the April 22nd Sutter's Mill meteorite. John Matson reports

Earth Was Longtime Asteroid Punching Bag

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:07:08 -0000

Dozens of asteroid impacts at least as bad as the dinosaur killer occurred long after such impacts were previously thought to have petered out. John Matson reports

Gamma-Ray Bursts Found Innocent in Ray Case

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:20:08 -0000

Gamma-ray bursts can't be the source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays that reach Earth. John Matson reports

Ballooning Star Split Planet in Two

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:39:08 -0000

A recently discovered pair of exoplanets may be the wreckage of one formerly giant planet. John Matson reports

Space Shuttles Head for Final Destinations

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:32:08 -0000

Starting with Discovery, the decommissioned space shuttle fleet will go on display at museums around the country. John Matson reports

Supernova Turned Star Inside-Out

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:26:08 -0000

When the star Cassiopeia A exploded, nearly all the iron from the core was expelled to the outer regions of the supernova. John Matson reports

Martian Water Stuck in Minerals

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:12:08 -0000

Significant amounts of water exist on Mars, sequestered within hydrated minerals and stored in the planet's crust. John Matson reports

Mars Makes Movie Execs See Red

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:36:08 -0000

John Carter is the latest in a string of movies set on the Red Planet that have all wound up in the red, financially. John Matson reports

"Man in the Moon" Facing Factors Figured

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:52:08 -0000

A new study explains why the odds favored the man-in-the-moon side to always face Earth. John Matson reports

Dark Matter Clump Furrows Brows

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:53:08 -0000

Dark matter doesn't usually collide much with itself or with ordinary matter, but it appears to be uncharacteristically clumping in the galaxy cluster A520. John Matson reports

Mars May Still Be Quaking

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:00:08 -0000

Rockfalls visible in orbiter images of Mars indicate that geologic activity occurred just a few million years ago and may be ongoing. John Matson reports

John Glenn Orbited 50 Years Ago Today

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:48:08 -0000

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn went to space, becoming the first American in orbit, and a national icon. John Matson reports

Black Hole May Eat Asteroids

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:30:08 -0000

The black hole at the center of Milky Way could be steadily feeding on a cloud of asteroids, producing frequent, small x-ray flares. John Matson reports

Flame Dances on Board Space Station

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:08 -0000

The Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX, on board the ISS allows researchers to study zero-gravity fire--and ways to fight it. John Matson reports

Kepler Finds Multiple Exoplanets around Single Stars

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:52:08 -0000

The Kepler spacecraft has found 26 previously unknown exoplanets orbiting 11 stars. John Matson reports

Point Up and Click

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:15:08 -0000

The 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is now accepting entries. John Matson reports

Binary Stars Have Plenty of Planets

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:19:08 -0000

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found two binary star systems that each host a planet, implying that millions exist. John Matson reports

GRAIL Mission May Find a Former Second Moon

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:00:08 -0000

The twin GRAIL craft will map lunar gravity and could find evidence for the remains within the moon of a former second satellite. John Matson reports

Leap Seconds May Disappear

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:27:08 -0000

This month the International Telecommunication Union will consider a proposal to abolish leap seconds. John Matson reports

Earth Usually Has Second Tiny, Temporary Moon

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:01:08 -0000

Irregular natural satellites, captured from the population of near-Earth asteroids, orbit Earth for a few months and move on. John Matson reports

Another Billionaire Joins the Space Race

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:05:08 -0000

Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, via his new venture, Stratolaunch Systems, hopes to launch spacecraft from massive airplanes. John Matson reports

Black Holes Dwarf the One in Milky Way

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:12:08 -0000

Galaxies NGC 3842 and NGC 4889 host black holes, each of which about 2,500 times the mass of the one at the center of the Milky Way. John Matson reports

Kepler Finds Its First Planet in the Habitable Zone

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:16:08 -0000

NASA's Kepler telescope has discovered its first exoplanet that could be at temperatures allowing liquid water, a big hurdle for life. John Matson reports

Curiosity Leaves Earth for Mars

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:02:08 -0000

The newest Mars rover, Curiosity, dwarfs NASA's previous rovers in size and scientific prowess. John Matson reports

Runaway Stars May Be Fleeing Bigger Bullies

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:08 -0000

A class of wandering stars called OB runaways may have been thrown from home by competing binary star systems that got too close. John Matson reports

Bright Exoplanet Lighting Could Indicate Intelligent Life

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:57:08 -0000

New telescopes could spot aliens on planets around distant stars, if they like their cities really brightly lit. John Matson reports

Planetary Scientists Hope to Bring Back Mars Moondust

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:08 -0000

The Phobos-Grunt mission, which could launch November 8th, will try to grab some Phobos soil and bring it back to Earth. John Matson reports

Asteroid Plans Close Earth Flyby

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:33:08 -0000

On November 8th an asteroid will pass Earth within the moon's orbit, offering a rare opportunity for study. John Matson reports

Soyuz Makes Launch from South American ESA Site

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:00:08 -0000

A Soyuz rocket carried into space components for a European GPS system--but the bigger news was the launch site, the European Space Agency home in French Guiana. John Matson reports

Did Saturn's Moon Iapetus Once Have Its Own Moon?

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:00:08 -0000

A sub-satellite of the Saturnian moon would explain two of the most puzzling features of Iapetus. John Matson reports

Fewer Big Asteroids Close In on Earth

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:42:08 -0000

The WISE spacecraft's census of near-Earth asteroids lowers the population of the big, bad ones. John Matson reports

Chinese Space Program Takes Giant Leap

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:50:08 -0000

China launches the unmanned Tiangong 1 later this week, setting up opportunities for docking and long-duration stays. John Matson reports

Solar System Likely Once Had Another Gas-Giant Planet

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:05:08 -0000

To evolve into our current solar system, the original version probably had a fifth gas giant, computer simulations indicate. John Matson reports

Satellite Set to Make Big Splash or Thud

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:42:08 -0000

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite will fall out of orbit soon, with large pieces perhaps reaching Earth's surface, according to NASA's Nick Johnson at a telephone press conference. John Matson reports

NASA Hopes Hard Sci-Fi Will Inspire Future Space Force

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:21:08 -0000

NASA will teach writers about space science and promote sci-fi novels in the hope of inspiring young readers to learn science and math and become part of the space workforce. John Matson reports

Failed Star Found in the Neighborhood

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:56:08 -0000

NASA's WISE satellite has found a Y dwarf star, cool enough to touch, that is the hub of the seventh closest star system to us. John Matson reports

Exoplanet Looks Potentially Lively

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:05:08 -0000

Newly discovered exoplanet HD 85512 b could be hospitable to life. John Matson reports

Opportunity Knocks at Martian Crater

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:02:08 -0000

Seven years into its three-month mission, the Mars rover Opportunity reaches Endeavour Crater, a possible geologic treasure trove. John Matson reports

Kuiper Belt Gets New Notches

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:56:08 -0000

A telescopic sky survey finds 14 previously unknown objects in and around the Kuiper Belt. John Matson reports

Jupiter Mission Counts Down

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:25:08 -0000

The space shuttle era is over, but a mission to Jupiter is next up on the launch pad. John Matson reports

New Moon Rises over Pluto

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:05:08 -0000

A Hubble telescope search for dust rings around Pluto turned up a previously unknown moon. John Matson reports

Kepler Searches for Habitable Planets, Part 2

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:21:08 -0000

NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be habitable. Part 2 of 2. John Matson reports

Kepler Searches for Planets in Habitable Zones

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:45:08 -0000

NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be in habitable zones around their stars. John Matson reports

Space Station Gets Close Wake-up Call

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:42:08 -0000

Orbital debris within 250 meters of the International Space station is a warning to clean up the neighborhood before a tragic impact. John Matson reports

Planets with Stabilizing Moons May Be Common

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:03:08 -0000

Computer simulations show that about 10 percent of planets could have a massive moon that helps to stabilize the planetary tilt. John Matson reports

Voyager 1 May Have Reached the Heliopause

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:01:08 -0000

After 34 years in space, 17 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has reached or is about to reach the heliopause. John Matson reports

Fragments of Single Meteorite Show Different Chemistry

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:03:08 -0000

The Tagish Lake meteorite fragments contain widely varying organic compounds, a sign that chemical reactions were taking place on board the body in space. John Matson reports

Step Right Up and Guess the Star's Age

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:26:08 -0000

A database of stars with known ages and spin rates could let astronomers gauge more stars' ages and find the ones old enough to support planets that could have complex life. John Matson reports

What's Flinging Comets Out of the Oort Cloud?

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:37:08 -0000

A planet-size object could be behind the odd departure of some comets from the Oort Cloud--and toward us. John Matson reports

WiggleZ Project Confirms Dark Energy's Effects

Mon, 23 May 2011 12:54:08 -0000

A survey of 150,000 galaxies confirms predictions about dark energy, thought to be what's driving galaxies apart. John Matson reports

Space Boat Could See Sea Near Saturn

Mon, 16 May 2011 14:17:08 -0000

Among projects under consideration by NASA is one that would send a boat to the hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan to check out its composition and chemistry. John Matson reports.

Milky Way Should Have Much More Companionship

Mon, 09 May 2011 11:05:08 -0000

Our understanding of dark matter says the Milky Way should have many times more than its dozen or so small satellite galaxies. John Matson reports

Comet Bops Past Neptune Cleanly

Mon, 02 May 2011 10:14:08 -0000

Comet Hale-Bopp has been spotted beyond the orbit of Neptune, far enough from the sun to be without its dirty tail. John Matson reports

Giant Energetic Bubbles Adorn the Milky Way

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:08 -0000

Two 30,000 light-year-long blobs called Fermi bubbles have been discovered on either side of our galactic plane. John Matson reports